


I Said No (Bucky/Steve)

by ReginaNocis



Series: Obscure Love [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Because yes, Bucky says NO, M/M, Steve does it anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-24 00:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10730064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis
Summary: Clint was the one to notice the pattern, because it was his job to notice details. Any time Bucky told Steve not to do something, Steve had to do it.





	I Said No (Bucky/Steve)

Normalcy wasn't a thing that existed in the lives of the Avengers, but a day like this was pretty close. New York was under attack by the latest villain who'd chosen to take them on, and Captain America was being insanely reckless for no reason. Usually nobody was paying enough attention to call him on it. That had changed when Bucky had joined, after he'd finally found himself again. And hadn't that been an interesting day at the Tower?

_'Sir, there is a man in the lobby demanding to see Captain Rogers. He claims to be an old friend, and his face does not match any in our database that I can find,” JARVIS stated, pausing the movie they'd all been watching. Fellowship of the Ring, because Steve hadn't seen it yet and Clint had demanded it._

“ _Show me,” Tony replied, pulling out his ever-present Starkpad and letting JARVIS take control to show him the image of the man waiting in the lobby. His eyes widened in shock when the picture appeared. “Oh, Steve, you should definitely go down and meet him.”_

“ _Who is it?” Steve asked curiously. Tony just shook his head and pointed to the elevator that was already opening. “Take us with you, if you feel it's necessary. This is one show I wouldn't mind witnessing, that's for sure.”_

“ _Tony, what the hell is going on?” Clint demanded, clearly asking what everyone in the room was thinking._

“ _Just wait and see, Birdbrain,” he replied, watching Steve carefully while the soldier made up his mind._

“ _Natasha can come with me, since I know she's got my back and won't just stand by and laugh if it's some crazed fan,” he finally concluded. The smile Nat gave him was not reassuring and left no doubt that she wasn't going to step in right away if that's what it ended up being. “And if that's who it is, Stark, we'll be having words.”_

“ _I'm terrified. And I bet not a single one will be a curse,” Tony said, grinning. He was joking, of course. Steve, surprisingly, had the worst mouth of all of them. Which was impressive, since Clint had literally been raised in a circus and Natasha was Russian. Plus, Tony._

“ _That joke got old months ago,” Steve grumbled, disappearing into the elevator with Nat. He didn't really know what to expect. Maybe it was Sam coming to tell him that their lead was once again a dead end. He did not expect it to be Bucky, leaning casually against the service desk and waiting patiently._

“ _Hey Punk, what took you so long?I've been waiting down here forever,” Bucky said calmly, grinning. Steve practically ran across the lobby to hug him._

Things hadn't been easy, of course. Tony wouldn't talk to him for weeks after he invited Bucky to stay. He locked himself down in the labs and only interacted with Bruce and Pepper, and occasionally Natasha. Eventually, he resurfaced and spent two hours having some private conversation with Bucky that not even Natasha could claim to know anything about. After that, things went back to almost normal. As normal as anything was for them.

But Bucky was there now, and he was paying extra attention to Steve's actions. It didn't take the others long to realize that previous notions about the duo were completely wrong. Everyone always assumed that Bucky was the one to initiate the mischief from the old days, but everyone would be wrong. Clint was the one to notice the pattern, because it was his job to notice details. Any time Bucky told Steve not to do something, Steve _had_ to do it. It didn't matter if it was something completely stupid like eating ice cream for breakfast, or something really dangerous like jumping out of jets without a parachute.

Once Clint pointed it out (to everyone other than the two actually involved, because he wasn't stupid), they made a game out of it. The point system was pretty easy; the more dangerous the task they get Steve to do, the more points they'd get. JARVIS was keeping score, though it was clear he didn't always approve.

They started with small things that drove Bucky crazy, like the ice cream. That one had been Tony's doing, because he hadn't felt like cooking and had his own bowl already when Steve and Bucky showed up.

“Hey guys, there are about six different flavors in the freezer. Grab a bowl and join me!” he called from the table, waving a spoon of ice cream at them.

“Oh, that sounds good. Do you have strawberry?” Steve asked, moving for the freezer. Bucky stared after him in disbelief before hurrying into the kitchen to stop him. Tony could hear the argument from where he was sitting, much to his amusement.

“Are you crazy? Ice cream is not breakfast, Steve. It doesn't matter that you've got superhuman metabolism!” Bucky was saying. Tony could hear the freezer door slamming shut.

“It sounds good, and one morning is not going to kill me. It's not like this is going to be a regular thing, Buck,” Steve protested. A bowl was set down on the counter, despite their argument.

“No,” Bucky insisted.

“I'm doing it,” Steve informed him, carrying his bowl of strawberry ice cream in and sitting across from Tony. He made sure Bucky could see him when he took his first bite, much to Tony's amusement. He'd just earned ten points, and he was the first to score in their little game.

 

~~

 

“I'd like to make a side bet,” Natasha stated as she slid onto the couch beside Clint. He looked over at her, no longer shocked by her sudden appearances even though everyone else in the room had jumped in surprise.

“What would that be?” he asked calmly. By now, he knew better than to bet against her. The others were not so smart.

“I believe that by the end of our little game, Steve and Bucky will have finally admitted their feelings for each other,” she informed them. Pepper nodded, smiling at the thought. The others (excepting Clint, who had a pretty good poker face) stared at her in disbelief.

“What, Cap and Bucky? They don't have _feelings_ for each other! You're on, Romanov,” Tony said, much to her satisfaction.

 

~~

 

Bucky joined them on their next mission, though he hadn't officially joined the team yet. They had to take the jet out to China to raid a Hydra base, and Steve was going to be the first one in. Bucky watched as Natasha gave him a brief description of what he'd find when he came out of the water surrounding the base, and Steve jumped out to carry out his part of the mission. Without a parachute.

“Are you fucking _crazy?”_ he demanded afterward, glaring at both Steve and Natasha. Steve because he was the idiot who decided jumping without a parachute was a good idea, and Natasha because she'd either encouraged him or just let him do it before.

“This isn't my first time doing that,” Steve muttered, glaring at the floor. He knew better than to look at Bucky when arguing, because his resolve usually shattered the moment he could see the disappointment on Bucky's face.

“It was _definitely_ the last time!” Bucky shouted, looking ready to hit something. It had been the wrong thing to say, though.

“It's not up to you, jerk. This is my call. I'm the captain, and the leader of this team,” Steve snapped back before stomping out of the room to destroy another punching bag. At least the ones that Tony made for him lasted more than a few days.

And the next mission that came around, Nat was collecting thirty points for herself when Steve once again jumped without a chute, as Bucky shouted obscenities into the comms at him.

 

~~

 

The game had been going on for months when Clint decided he wanted to win and get it over with. He'd been saving up this idea from the beginning, building up to it. They were all sitting in the penthouse together, but they were doing separate things. It was what they did after stressful missions, and it helped them all relax. Steve was sketching while Bucky watched, Nat and Clint were watching some talk show, Tony was playing with his Starkpad, Bruce was reading, and Thor was eating Poptarts. Pepper was away at some meeting, so she'd miss the action.

Clint muted the tv and turned to Steve, pretending to contemplate something. “Steve, have you ever thought about jumping off the roof?” The others looked at him in alarm, but Steve just observed him calmly.

“No, I can't say that I have,” he replied, looking back down at his paper.

“Really?” Clint asked. “Because I bet you could make it to the next building over if you managed to get enough momentum.”

Steve didn't even look up this time. “I probably could, but I know what you're doing. It's not going to work. I'm not jumping off of the roof.”

“Damn right you're not,” Bucky muttered, obviously pleased that Steve was making the right choice on his own. He shouldn't have said anything though, because Steve's shoulders tensed when he heard it, and he immediately stood and laid his sketchbook on the table.

“You know what, there's only one way to know for sure. I'm going to do it. I'm going to jump off of the roof,” he stated with sudden determination that made Clint proud. He'd just racked up enough points to win the game twice over.

Of course, they didn't actually let him jump off of the roof. Bucky ended up throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him back down to their floor, with Steve fighting him the whole way. Natasha recorded the whole thing on her phone and sent it to Pepper so she could see.

 

~~

 

Steve was sulking on the couch that evening when Bucky walked back in carrying the take-out bag. He sighed and set the bag aside, sitting beside him.

“I just don't want you getting hurt. We just found each other, Stevie. I can't lose you again,” he said quietly. “And jumping off of the roof is basically a death sentence!”

“I would have made it,” Steve argued. “You know Clint doesn't suggest things unless he knows they work.”

“Did you know that they had a bet going over who could get you to do the most dangerous and stupid things? I believe Clint won today with his little roof suggestion. Why do you make it so easy for them?” he demanded, frustrated.

“I don't ever go with the stupid things they suggest. It's just... I don't know. When you try to mother me like that, it drives me crazy. I need you to be my friend, not my protector. I can take care of myself,” he replied.

“I'm always your friend. It's hard to see you as something other than that little guy from Brooklyn that needed me,” Bucky said quietly, looking down.

“I still need you,” Steve replied, equally quietly. He tilted Bucky's face back up to look at him. “Just maybe in a different way now.” He was leaning in closer, his intention obvious.

“Don't, Steve... I'm not good enough for you. Don't make this mistake,” he told him, leaning in despite what he was saying.

“I think I'll be the judge of that,” Steve said, closing the distance and kissing him.

 

~~

 

When JARVIS relayed the news to the others, Tony handed over his money to Nat with a groan. She pocketed it with a smile, handing Clint a small amount since it had been his idea that had finally gotten them together.

“Now, we just need you and Bruce to get together and the sexual tension will be just a memory,” she informed them, smirking.

 


End file.
